Chapter 709: Ruins (3)
While Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in worked on the puzzle,
construction and excavation were in full swing near the ruins.
The same went for the man Kim Ho had nicknamed “Beard Guy.”
SCRAPE SCRAPE SCRAPE SCRAPE!
His pitiless shovel tore through the ground.
At a speed no excavator could even dream of matching.
After contributing to Hyeseong’s work efficiency that way for a long while, the bearded man finally climbed back out of the pit he had dug.
THUNK!
He drove the shovel deep into the ground, then leaned half his weight against it.
No one said a word about him openly taking a break, because he had already done so much.
Most of the laborers simply accepted it and focused on their own work.
A few took the opportunity to rest as well, including the man Kim Ho had nicknamed “Scrawny Guy.”
After hauling a pile of rebar to its destination, he trudged over to Beard Guy, groaning the whole way.
“Good grief, every bone in my body hurts. Feels like I’m gonna die. This is what I get for doing work I’m not used to.”
“...”
“How about you? Managing all right?”
“...”
Even though the other man gave him nothing, Scrawny Guy kept chatting with easy familiarity.
He held out a bottle of water he’d somehow produced.
“Here, have a drink. You’ve been sweating like crazy.”
“...Much obliged.”
Only then did Beard Guy give him a short reply before twisting the cap open and chugging it down.
Silence settled between them for a moment before Scrawny Guy casually spoke again.
“Looks like it went just the way your strategist wanted. Definitely deserves that ‘Brain’ title.”
“Anyone could have thought of the idea.”
“Sure, the idea itself. What matters is how you actually pull it off.”
And that how was the reason we’re here now, he added.
Getting hired as a construction-site laborer was not exactly a high-bar job, but this was still a project carried out under Hyeseong’s name. They were not taking just anyone.
And yet the two of them had managed to slip in and had been observing the situation all this time.
Scrawny Guy flicked a glance toward the ruins.
“We were aiming for the Future Strategy Office team leader, but a much bigger fish showed up with them.”
“The Chairman’s granddaughter... That only makes this more welcome.”
And not just his granddaughter, but his only grandchild.
To the Chairman, she had to be precious enough to cherish more than his own eyes.
Which meant the impact of securing her would be enormous.
A blood-red gleam flashed through Beard Guy’s eyes.
And while we’re at it, we can settle our cult’s score too.
Back in winter, the Blood Sword force and several elders had gone to Sichuan and been annihilated.
And despite deploying that much strength, they had accomplished almost nothing.
The Hyeseong young lady had supposedly been at the center of that affair too, so taking revenge now would kill two birds with one stone.
And so Beard Guy said,
“I’ll contact the Commander. You people make your preparations as well.”
“We’re ready, of course. When do you want to move?”
“Tomorrow. The day after at the latest.”
“We could move right now if we had to, but you seem a little rushed. Mind if I ask why?”
“I don’t believe they’ll be staying long.”
The Hyeseong young lady was still a student.
If she had come outside Dragonslayer Academy anyway, that meant she was carrying out an outside request.
Nine times out of ten, that meant a short-term assignment.
In other words, if they did not move quickly, they would lose both the Future Strategy Office team leader and the young lady.
Scrawny Guy nodded.
“That makes sense. Then let me confirm one more thing.”
He gestured toward the ruins.
More precisely, toward the Hyeseong employees standing guard nearby.
“It’s great that the Chairman’s granddaughter got swept up in this, but security’s tighter now too, isn’t it? If we charge in like this, won’t the losses be heavy?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Beard Guy answered without a moment’s hesitation.
They were men who could throw away even their lives like straw for the sake of the Supreme One’s objective.
Higher casualties meant nothing to them.
Besides, Blood Brain had already estimated the enemy’s strength on the high side from the start.
A few extra guards still fell within the expected range.
So the conclusion was simple.
“We’ll crush them with overwhelming force. That’s all.”
“...Fine by me. Just don’t forget what you promised us.”
“When this is over, it will naturally fall into your hands.”
Before long, the two men split apart as if they had been strangers all along, then went right back to what they had been doing—one resumed digging, the other resumed carrying rebar.
SCRAPE SCRAPE SCRAPE!
To any third party, it would have looked like nothing more than a brief chat during a break.
And in truth, they drew no real suspicion.
With two exceptions.
Kang Daesan, who had been watching Beard Guy, finally shifted his gaze away.
“So it really is unfolding just like the ‘oracle’ said.”
“Sure is.”
Oh Sehun answered with a faint smile.
Just as Kim Ho had guessed, they had been entrusted with something extremely important after graduation.
Their participation in the construction was simply an extension of that duty, and they had already informed Hyeseong of their identities and obtained permission in advance.
And after watching the suspicious ones closely, they had finally caught a tail.
Kang Daesan spoke as if to himself.
“Judging by their bearing, Blood Cult and some other cult? Doesn’t seem like the gang side got involved.”
“It’s still too early to be certain.”
“...Fair enough.”
Just because there were only two men on-site did not mean there were only two forces involved.
Kang Daesan asked again,
“So for now, all we can do is wait?”
“That’s the policy. And the constraint.”
Under ordinary circumstances, the moment suspicion became certainty, they would have shouted something like, “Hey, everyone! Those are Blood Cult infiltrators! That one’s with another cult!” and arrested Beard Guy and Scrawny Guy on the spot.
And even if they could not do that, they should at least have tipped off Hyeseong.
But the oracle had more to it than that, and until the incident actually happened, they had no choice but to remain passive.
If they moved recklessly, they might trigger a butterfly effect.
That was the constraint placed on them.
More importantly, catching only the tail doesn’t mean much.
At best, arresting the infiltrators now would get them two men, give or take.
That was far too small a gain for the price of putting the enemy on alert.
Meanwhile, it would simply hand the enemy another chance to attack.
Rather than trying to predict that from scratch all over again, it was better to prepare here and meet the attack head-on.
Kang Daesan let out a low groan.
“I understand, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.”
“Look on the bright side. We’ve got a sharp junior on our side too.”
“...Mm.”
During their brief reunion, Kim Ho had seemed to figure out not only who they worked for, but also how they had ended up here.
Just from the way he had thrown out the word “constraint.”
If that’s the case, he’ll cooperate as much as he can.
That would benefit everyone.
And from what Oh Sehun had seen, Kim Ho had never once failed at anything he truly meant to do.
Even last year, when he had been dragged in for breaking school rules, he had somehow ended up holding the knife by the handle and walking away with everything he wanted.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
“This might turn out a lot easier than we thought.”
*****
By the time evening came, after devoting themselves to the puzzle all day,
Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in had completed a large portion of the rabbit.
All that remained were the two ears, the pocket watch, and the carrot.
At this rate, they should be able to finish it sometime the following afternoon.
Eventually, they returned to their lodging and spent a peaceful stretch of time there.
They ate dinner.
Seo Ye-in’s father came by and played minigames with Kim Ho.
And, naturally, got completely obliterated.
By the time that was all over, it had already grown late, and they went to bed.
As always, in the same bed.
But unlike usual, Seo Ye-in could not fall asleep.
Normally, all it took was resting her head on Kim Ho’s arm or chest and she would pass out almost instantly.
And today she had worked herself so hard that the puzzle pieces were practically still floating in front of her eyes.
Yet strangely enough, her mind remained crystal clear.
...I can’t sleep.
—...Neither can I.
In the darkness, Seo Ye-in and Fast-Luckless met each other’s eyes, then slowly sat up.
...
—...
The reason they could not sleep was obvious, really.
It was because of the thought that had kept coming back to them ever since they were putting together the puzzle.
Both Seo Ye-ins looked down at Kim Ho at the same time.
More precisely, at his lips.
It had just barely brushed the corner of his mouth by accident while he was kissing her, but—
...Different.
—Somehow, somehow different.
...Do not understand.
—...Neither do I.
...What’s the difference?
A cheek and lips were basically right next to each other, weren’t they?
At most, only a few finger-widths apart.
So why had that tiny touch left her with a feeling she could not understand?
The two Seo Ye-ins kept thinking and thinking in the dark, but there was no way an answer was going to magically appear.
Normally, they would have given up on the problem and gone straight to sleep.
But tonight, it felt like they would not be able to sleep without an answer.
So the conclusion they reached was this:
Try it again.
—Lip headbutt.
Knock him over first.
For the record, Dark Dragon Lord had been the one to tell them all that.
If the Chairman had heard it, he might very well have started screaming that today was the day he and that damn lizard settled things once and for all.
Still, ridiculous word choice aside, the advice had a certain logic to it, so Seo Ye-in slowly nodded.
Then she gradually leaned toward the sleeping Kim Ho.
...Thump thump.
Seo Ye-in suddenly placed a hand over her chest.
For a moment, very unlike herself, she hesitated.
Promise with Butler.
—Lip-kiss homework.
They had agreed that once she realized what this feeling was—the one that came whenever he kissed her, and kept growing stronger each time—then they would do a kiss on the lips.
But then Seo Ye-in’s gray eyes gleamed.
...It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
—Just headbutt him first.
For the record, that line also came from Dark Dragon Lord.
If she kissed him on the lips now, that would mean breaking their promise, but she felt sure Kim Ho would understand.
And if she tried it herself, maybe she would finally understand the vague, hazy feeling she had been struggling with all this time.
So the conclusion was this:
...Proceed.
Seo Ye-in leaned farther and farther forward.
As she did, Kim Ho’s face drew closer and closer, and the thump thump in her chest grew louder and louder.
And just as their lips were about to touch—
“!?”
Seo Ye-in jerked her head back without meaning to.
Fast-Luckless tilted her head.
—...What.
...Not easy.
She only needed to go a tiny bit farther.
Just a little, little more.
And yet somehow she could not make herself go all the way.
As if there were a thin invisible wall in front of her.
...
—...
Sloth and Fast-Luckless stared at each other in silence for a long time.
Then Seo Ye-in’s eyes lit up again.
...Second attempt.
—You can do it, Original.
And once again she pushed her face toward Kim Ho’s.
But just like before, right before their lips touched, she jerked back.
Not easy...
—Kiss on the lips, powerful enemy.
There was no answer in sight.
Staring at Fast-Luckless, Seo Ye-in suddenly lifted both hands to her face.
...Hot.
For some reason she felt feverish.
She had not realized it herself, but a faint flush had risen on her cheeks as well.
—Third attempt?
Not easy...
The two Seo Ye-ins could only sit by Kim Ho’s pillow and gaze down at him.
Very unusually for them—
all night long.